Day: May 14, 2018

PENINSULA boxer Jason Whateley has fallen just shy of his dream gold medal at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday 14 April after being defeated by none-other than the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, David Nyika. After three attempts at qualifying for the Games, Whateley finally broke through earlier this year and cemented his spot in the 13-strong Australian boxing squad which headed to the Gold Coast for this year’s Commonwealth Games. Whateley entered the international competition with one goal in mind, a gold medal in the heavyweight division (91kg), and it took the world’s seventh best heavyweight boxer, David Nyika,…

BASKETBALL SOUTHERN Peninsula Sharks state championship women’s side continue to show that they deserve their spot in the highest division as they slotted their fifth victory for their season on the road against McKinnon Cougars in round seven of the Big V. The Sharks’ young squad shot at a 47 per cent clip to defeat the Cougars (58-82) away from home, with Jaz Shelley (26 pts) and Peyton Little (23 pts) again delivering solid performances. While the Cougars took a six point lead out of the first break, the Sharks quickly turned the game around in the second quarter to…

SOCCER Langwarrin has sacked giant second-string keeper Josh Dorron and is on the lookout for a replacement. Dorron will join State 1 South-East outfit Caulfield Cobras a week later than planned after Langy held up his clearance late last week. The local club was incensed when told that Dorron had trained elsewhere without informing Langy’s coaching staff. The good news is that long-serving Langy boss Gus Macleod welcomes three new faces at training this week. Queensland strikers Matt Heath and Chris Swain will be joined by tall central defender Lloyd Clothier. Heath is from Brisbane-based Olympic FC, Swain is from…

DIVISION TWO A TWO point thriller between Red Hill and Rye was the pick of the games in MPNFL Division Two football this weekend. Eventual winners Rye were comfortably ahead for most of the day, but a last quarter fight back from Red Hill almost soured their day. Going into the last quarter, Rye held a comfortable 29 point lead, with their opponents only managing to have kicked a paltry two goals and seven behinds. Red Hill however looked a different side after the last break, and piled on five goals to one in a thrilling last quarter that saw…

DIVISION ONE IT was a week of firsts in the MPNFL Division One competition this weekend with Frankston YCW slipping up for the first time this season, going down in a shock loss at home to Pines on Saturday. After a disappointing performance against bottom placed Mornington last week, YCW were made to pay for their poor form with their first defeat of the year in a tense contest. The low scoring affair saw both teams struggle for goals, with Frankston YCW putting on two goalless quarters. Neither side was able to bag a major in the final term, and…

THIS year’s Mornington Winter Music Festival celebrating Jazz, Blues, Soul and more hosts some of our music industries iconic and upcoming female performers. Deborah Conway has been an eminent contributor to Australian music for over 30 years. Conway was named a Living Legend twice by the Rolling Stone Magazine. “It is a challenge to find any musical work Conway has been involved with that isn’t simply magnificent” wrote Sydney Morning Herald. With hits such as ‘Man overboard’, ‘It’s only the beginning’ and ‘Release Me’ just to name a few, Deborah and musical collaborator Willy Zygier will put on a show…

CAPTAIN Bruce was elected for the vacant seat at the by-election held last Saturday. The following is the result of the polling in key electorates: Dandenong: Bruce – 2225, Hall – 27, Holmes – 1216. Frankston: Bruce – 1483, Hall – 30, Holmes – 479. Totals: Bruce – 14,445, Hall – 382, Holmes – 740. *** MR A. J. Munyard of the Department of Art, Working Men’s College, Melbourne, was specially asked by a local worker to assist the Frankston effort to the Red Cross by using his artistry to depict an Australian soldier starving in a German prison. He…

FEDERAL Liberal MP Chris Crewther is lobbying the Australian Electoral Commission to prevent boundary changes to his electorate of Dunkley. Mr Crewther, who won the seat at the 2016 federal election with a slim majority, would face a tight fight to hold the seat if proposed AEC electorate boundary changes are made later this year. The Dunkley electorate will lose Mornington and the northern part of Baxter in its south to the seat of Flinders, held by Liberal MP Greg Hunt, and gain Carrum Downs, Sandhurst and Skye to the north from the Isaacs electorate, held by Labor MP Mark…

OBITUARY Andrew Kelly 9/3/1970 – 5/5/2018 Journalist, sporting commentator ANDREW Kelly had a few names. As a sports writer he chose his pseudonyms to suit his subject – Toe Punt for footy and I T Gully (In The Gully) for cricket. There was nothing subversive about him wanting to write under other names, but it was a decision made for the sake of appearing to be objective as Kelly was a player in some of the games he wrote about. Andrew Kelly became Toe Punt (Toey) and I T Gully. It ended up being an open secret, but his anonymity…

MOTORISTS booked in a No Stopping zone in Booker Avenue, Mornington, will have to go through the appeals process to have their fines rescinded – even though Mornington Peninsula Shire Council admits signs were erected after they had parked their cars for the day. Local Laws officers agreed to stop issuing tickets to drivers further along the road on Tuesday 8 May, when the booked motorists complained – but the officers refused to cancel the existing tickets. They said they had not been told the signs were new. The motorists, mainly Australian Unity employees, were told they would have to…

A PLEDGE to spend $225 million to electrify rail tracks from Frankston to Baxter was the big ticket item for the region in last week’s federal budget. Federal Liberal Treasurer Scott Morrison confirmed the federal government’s commitment to the project as part of a $7.8 billion package for new roads and rail lines across Victoria. But it seems construction works to extend the metropolitan line to Baxter are still some way down the track. The project is not yet fully funded and a business case has not been completed before the federal and state governments can agree on a funding…

A CAFE in Mornington does more than just serve fresh coffee to customers – it provides its young staff with skills to improve their chances in a tight jobs market. Home Ground, in the Tanti Estate, grew from a working group set up by youth worker Sam Hearn, a Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor, and established Mornington coffee entrepreneur Sam Keck. “For a couple of years we have been combining skills and connections to find employment pathways for young people,” Cr Hearn said. “I was involved in setting up Mornington Park Primary School Op Shop and that was going well, and…

A MORNINGTON man fighting a debilitating disease is still working to help others in their suffering. Geoff O’Hare, 57, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2012, runs the Mornington Peninsula region CCA Patient Support Group. May is Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Month, which culminates in World IBD – or Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Day on Saturday 19 May. Mr O’Hare is well aware of the stigma and embarrassment associated with bowel disease. IBD patients – especially when young – are often too embarrassed to discuss it, meaning few people really understand its impact on a victim’s physical health and…

AUSTRALIAN musical theatre star Philip Gould and award winning singer/actress Michelle Fitzmaurice team up again to sing and dance their way through 22 hits of the man they called the Chairman of the Board…Frank Sinatra. The fascinating life story of Frank Sinatra will be told through skilfully written narration and all of this in front of the backdrop of wonderful stills of Frank’s life on the big screen. Classic Sinatra hits including My Way, Three Coins in a Fountain, Fly Me to the Moon, High Hopes will be performed. The show will also contain many hits from the women in…

THE days and nights of drink drivers who fail alcohol breath tests keeping driving licences on the Mornington Peninsula and across the state are over. From 30 April, any driver recording a Breath Alcohol Content reading of more than 0.05 will lose their licence for at least three months. There will be no leniency for first offenders. Previously, drivers providing a “mid-range” reading between 0.05 and 0.069 could be fined but keep licences in some circumstances. Alcohol interlock devices will also be fitted to the vehicles of all drink drivers for six months after they are back on the roads.…

HUMOUROUS insights into religion and life in an English village are coming to Rosebud in a stage adaptation of the Vicar of Dibley television series. “I am a huge fan of Dawn French and the cast of the TV series,” director Keith Gledhill says when expressing his delight at being asked to take charge of the Southern Peninsula Players’ production. A fan of the series, Gledhill chose to bring three episodes to the stage: “Arrival”, “Dibley Live” and “Autumn”. The TV scripts have been amended to suit live stage performances. “The Vicar of Dibley is a magnificent example of British…

THE new executive committee of the Disabled Surfers Association Mornington Peninsula Branch (DSAMP) went to Point Leo last week for a final look before the official opening of a viewing platform and a new way of getting onto the beach. Known as the boardwalk, the 82 metre long structure starts near Point Leo Surf Lifesaving Club and ends with a wheelchair ramp to the beach. A wide-tyred wheelchair is available for loan from the club. Taking a close look at the completed boardwalk last week were newly-elected DSAMP president John Bowers, vice-president Steve Hough, secretary Scott Cosgriff and former secretary…

By Barry Morris TV footage of bombed-out cities, streams of people fleeing war or persecution, the tiny body of a Syrian boy washed on to a beach in Turkey – all are images graphically illustrating the story of 22 million people worldwide seeking asylum. The scale of the human disaster can leave us numb, wondering what on earth, if anything, we can do to help. Asylum means refuge, haven, sanctuary, shelter and place of safety. Because some of these asylum seekers end up in Victoria, the social justice group at St Macartan’s Catholic Church, Mornington, has decided to do something…

POETRY soiree Poet’s Corner is taking part in the Melbourne Spoken Word and Poetry Festival on Sunday 27 May as part of the inaugural Melbourne Spoken Word & Poetry Festival. It will run Friday 18 May-Sunday 3 June at various venues. Poet ReVerse Butcher, which is Stephanie Petrik’s stage name, will perform on stage, 6-8pm, at Blue Bay Cafe, McCrae. She also makes artist’s books, collages and visual art, as well as writing, creating and performing poetry. Poet’s Corner aims to encourage anyone interested to write, read, perform or listen to poetry. Visitors wine, dine, and hear poetry during the…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council will push the state government to fully finance a $80.3 million car ferry link between Stony Point and Cowes. Despite some local opposition, the council believes the best site for the ferry terminal on Phillip Island is just west of Mussel Rocks. The state government gave Bass Coast Shire $200,000 to reinvigorate the car ferry project, with Bass Coast and Mornington Peninsula shires each contributing $25,000. The aim was to develop a business case to determine the cost, requirements and viability of a vehicle and passenger ferry service between Mornington Peninsula (Stony Point) and Phillip Island.…

HEADS turned and diners whispered … hey, isn’t that Hillary Clinton at that table over there? The US former First Lady and presidential candidate is certainly not your everyday guest but, there she was, enjoying lunch, at Merricks North’s luxury hotel Jackalope, Wednesday 9 May. “It was an honour and a pleasure to have had Ms Clinton drop in to Jackalope to dine with us at Rare Hare today,” the hotel’s general manager Tracy Atherton said. “Her PA made a booking and she was greeted by the hotel’s owner Louis Li who escorted her inside for lunch.” Ms Clinton shared…

WILDLIFE carers are apprehensive as they wait to hear from VicRoads about timelines for the second round of clearing vegetation from the Mornington Peninsula freeway. The initial clearing of established vegetation on freeway between Mt Martha and Rosebud was halted following reports of animals being killed by the authority’s “forestry machine” – and even being mulched alive (“VicRoads stops shredding after outcry”, The News, 9/10/17). Community concerns, voiced loudly on social media and radio, slammed the loss of habitat, “cruel” treatment of wildlife, lack of planning and consultation, loss of amenity to the area, increased noise and air pollution, sun…